When the World Series champion Boston Red Sox visit the White House on May 9, reigning American League MVP Mookie Betts won’t be in the lineup.
The face of the franchise did not elaborate as to why he won’t be joining the team on their trip to D.C. to meet President Trump, other than telling the Boston Globe that he had thought about it and decided he would not go.
“I won’t be going there,” Betts said. “I decided not to.”
Betts spoke after accepting his MVP award at the New York Baseball Writers Association of America dinner over the weekend.
Third baseman Rafael Devers will also be skipping the trip. It appears unlikely pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez will attend, and two other players, shortstop Xander Bogaerts and infielder Eduardo Nunez, had not decided about going or not as of Saturday.
Boston manager Alex Cora, a native of Puerto Rico, has been outspoken about his trepidation about visiting the White House due to President Trump and his policies — particularly his handling of the devastation from Hurricane Maria.
“If I go, I’ll represent Puerto Rico the right way,” Cora said in the past. “I don’t know what kind of platform I’ll have if I go. It’s not that I’ve changed my mind, but we’ll see what happens in the upcoming days.”
The team originally planned to go to the White House on February 15 but postponed the trip due to the government shutdown.
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